


the sky will not fall down

by mintfrosting



Category: Harlots (TV)
Genre: F/F, Mentor/Protégé, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 06:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11549514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mintfrosting/pseuds/mintfrosting
Summary: Lucy confides in her, and Nancy lets her stay the night. Set between their last two scenes together in episode 8. This was meant to stay platonic but my hand slipped.





	the sky will not fall down

**Author's Note:**

> There must have been some discussion between _"the sky will not fall down"_ and _"what would you say to them all?"_
> 
> So here's something to fill that space.

Nancy Birch is alone drinking gin when there’s a gentle knock at the doorway from the hall, and Lucy appears in her pale pink dress.

“Can I talk to you?” she asks, with a look on her face that’s pleading and apologetic all at once. Nancy seems to hesitate, eyes without focus, fingers fondling her glass. But she can sense the girl’s distress, beyond just the matter of the contract, and she nods.

So Lucy comes over and sits across the table, slumping against it like she’s tired of the world. Such a pretty young thing, Nancy thinks, to look so weary already. Her skin is smooth and lovely, with wisps of angelic blonde hair fallen down to frame her face. But her eyes are dull, and tension is clear in her shoulders and neck.

“What’s the matter?” Nancy asks her with care.

Lucy sighs before she speaks. “I hate culls,” she says.

The older woman nods in understanding. “I can’t blame you,” she says, and sips from her glass.

“All they do is hurt me,” says Lucy.

Then suddenly, Nancy becomes very focused. Her eyes narrow on Lucy, and her handsome face looks stern. “Has someone hurt you?” she asks.

The girl doesn’t respond, doesn’t even look up. Her eyes seem to stare even further away.

“Lucy.” Nancy’s voice is gentle, but her tone is firm. “Have they hurt you.”

Her answer is reluctant. “Maybe.”

Nancy reaches out to press a hand on top of hers. “Are you all right?” she asks.

Lucy looks up at her then. She looks so broken, and Nancy wants to help mend her spirits in any way she can.

“What’s happened?” she asks, and withdraws her hand.

Lucy tries to find the right words. “Nobody cares what I want,” she says. “But I have to do it. For my ma.”

Nancy is listening intently.

“I thought I wanted to be like Charlotte,” says Lucy. “She’s all right, she knows what to do. But I’m no good at this. I can’t pretend.”

Nancy sips her gin while she considers it all. “You said nobody cares what you want,” she says. “What is it you want?”

“Not this,” says Lucy. “Not waking up with bruises, or having things done to me...”

Nancy takes a deep breath, her hand against the table clenching into a fist. She’s thinking about what a reckless and contemptible person Lucy’s mother has been, how blinded by greed... but she won’t speak badly of Margaret in front of her daughter. Instead she just shakes her head and swallows more gin.

“Can I have some?” Lucy asks, and Nancy promptly hands her the glass. Lucy doesn’t normally drink anything so strong, and the gin burns down her throat, but it starts to dull her senses in a way that she needs.

“You can stay here tonight,” says Nancy. She won’t show it, but she’s restless and uneasy, and she won’t dare let the girl out from under her roof to meet further perils in the night.

Lucy nods in agreement. “Thank you,” she says.

“Have you talked to your ma?” Nancy asks her then.

Lucy shakes her head. ”No,” she says.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t want to disappoint her.” Lucy sips the gin, fiddling with her hand against the table. Then she asks, “Would it disappoint you? If I told you what happened?”

“Of course not.” Nancy’s eyes are soft and caring. “You can tell me anything. I won’t hold it against you.”

Lucy shifts in her seat. “But what if it’s my fault?” she asks. “What if I deserved it?”

Nancy shakes her head.

“Lucy,” she says. “I can promise you did not deserve it.”

So Lucy tells her everything.

 

Nancy wraps her in her arms when they’re done with their talk. Lucy holds her close, and she smells of tobacco smoke and alcohol, a curious mix that feels like rebellion and independence. There’s something so carefree about Nancy, and Lucy wants to feel that way, too.

As she pulls away, Nancy takes her face in her hands and presses a kiss to her forehead. Lucy feels the touch wash over her, a soft and tender symbol of comfort and acceptance. She’s always wanted to feel this way.

“You should sleep,” Nancy tells her with a pat to her arm.

But Lucy doesn’t want to leave her.

“Which bed should I take?” she asks.

“There’s room with Betsey.” She turns, about to leave, but Lucy stops her.

“Is there room with you?”

 

Lucy gets undressed down to her shift and stays while Nancy is locking up the house and snuffing out the candles. The girl has just finished letting down her hair when Nancy makes it to the bedroom.

“Will you help me unlace?” Lucy asks over her shoulder.

They meet eyes for a moment, and Nancy gets to work on her laces. Lucy loves the feeling of being cared for. She finds herself imagining if Nancy pulled back her hair in her hands and started gently brushing through it. Just the thought feels incredible.

Once she’s down to her shift, Lucy gets into bed. She blinks in and out of view the sight of Nancy undressing in the candlelight, letting her hair flow free and pulling black stockings down her legs. When she gets into bed, Lucy is overcome by the desire to be held in her arms. The sound of her own subtle movement under the covers seems terribly loud - and if she didn’t know better, she’d be sure that Nancy could hear her beating heart just as well.

Made bold by her share of the gin, Lucy nudges up against her in the dark, just pressing close but not saying a word. Her heart is like a drum. Then Nancy pulls her closer, and it’s absolutely the answer to her prayers. Nancy starts to stroke her hair, her hand gentle as a feather, and the girl sighs in pleasure against her neck.

Suddenly, Nancy shifts to give her forehead a kiss once again. It should be a chaste and innocent gesture, not at all amiss. But Lucy can’t help but feel a villainous heat rush through her, and wonder if there could be something more behind that touch - some wicked desire deep within Nancy's spirit that would only need a whisper of temptation to awaken. Lucy clutches at her shirt, shifting slightly against her. The warmth of her body is so wonderful, and she hasn’t stopped stroking Lucy’s hair. The touch makes her tremble - or maybe that’s her nerves.

Lucy is so full of fondness, so charmed by the caring nature and receptive ear of this enchanting older woman. Nancy has allowed her to be open about her secrets and hasn't held a thing against her, allowed her in her bed to share the night at each other’s side... and Lucy wants to feel even closer.

Here in the dark… what’s stopping her from pressing her lips against the open expanse of Nancy’s chest, against her neck or her cheek? Just the understanding that Nancy is twice her age, just knowing that certain lines are not be crossed. But Lucy wants to cross that line. There’s nothing there to stop her, not really, just liquor in her belly flowing into her veins and making her feel very warm and numb and happy. She’s this close to doing something reckless when the sound of Nancy’s voice interrupts.

“Lucy,” she says. Her words are spoken low but with clear and strong intent. “You will burn that contract. Do you hear me?”

Lucy wants to agree, but she’s afraid of what could happen.

“And what then?” she asks.

Nancy holds her close, and her voice has softened, beautiful and sweet. “I’ll show you,” she says. “I’ll teach you how to be like me. And no one will hurt you ever again.”

Lucy doesn’t know what to say. “You would do that for me?” she asks.

“I’d do anything for you.”

Then Lucy is overcome by a wave of affection, an absolute need to give her a kiss, and presses her lips against her cheek. “Thank you,” she whispers. Even now, she’s worried that Nancy will push her away, kick her out of the bed and start to scold her for being so bold. But instead Nancy shifts to give Lucy a kiss at her cheek in return.

It’s exactly the permission she needs. Everything Nancy is doing says this is all right, this is what she wants. She’s still holding her close and indeed they’re very close, just a breath away from a terrifying trespass across forbidden lines. Lucy kisses again just beside her lips, barely a kiss, just a question, and Nancy’s fingers tighten in her hair. She wants this, doesn’t she.

Lucy takes the chance and connects their lips. And Nancy kisses her back like she’s been waiting for this moment. They kiss with a tenderness that washes over Lucy, warming her senses and easing her tension. Nancy's fingers brush back her hair, and her touch is so gentle and caring. She holds Lucy’s face in her hand while they kiss, and it feels incredible, possessive, protective. Lucy knows she wants to protect her - knows she will do everything she can to keep her safe.

Sharing something so intimate seals their agreement, binding them together in passionate connection. Nancy leaves her with one last tender kiss that makes her heart flutter in her chest, then pulls her close in a loving embrace.

And Lucy feels as though everything will be all right.

 

 


End file.
